American actor Gary Sinise — famous for his roles in CSI, Forrest Gump, Of Mice and Men, and Apollo 13 — has announced the death of his son.
McCanna Anthony Sinise, known as Mac, 33, died after more than five years battling a rare form of cancer.
He was diagnosed with chordoma, a malignant bone cancer of the spine, in August 2018, two months after his mother Moira was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.
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But while Moira went into remission within months, Mac was just beginning “a long battle that disabled him more and more as time went on,” Gary said in a statement on the Gary Sinise Foundation website.
Mac was a graduate of the USC Thorton School of Music with a love of drumming and piano, but “the cancer had paralysed him from the chest down” leaving him unable to play both instruments.
He continued to make music with limited use of his right arm and left fingers, and with two friends from college wrote the soon-to-be released album Resurrection and Revival.
“The week the album went to press, Mac lost his battle with cancer. He died on January 5, 2024 at 3.25pm, and was laid to rest on January 23rd,” the statement said.
“Like any family experiencing such a loss, we are heartbroken.”
Gary said he had only publicly mentioned Mac’s battle with cancer once before, in an interview in late December, 2023. The next day, Mac was taken to the emergency room for what would be his final trip to the hospital.
His condition worsened in the months that followed until his death earlier this year.
“As parents, it is so difficult losing a child. My heart goes out to all who have suffered a similar loss,” Gary said.
“He fought an uphill battle against a cancer that has no cure, but he never quit trying.”
“I am so blessed, fortunate, and proud to be his dad.”
